Friday 8 August 2014

History of the Cuban Cohiba Cigar

The Cohiba cigar originated from a man named Eduardo Ribera in Cuba in the mid 1960’s. He had perfected a special blend of tobaccos and special leaves to make this excellent cigar. He gave the cigars to family and friends and was not marketing them. One day a bodyguard of Fidel Castro gave him one of the cigars. Castro inquired about the blend of the cigar and was told it came from a friend who makes the cigar for his personal use only. He was told, however, Mr. Ribera gave the cigars to special friends and family members. Fidel Castro ordered the man to be found and brought to him. After meeting with Ribera a factory was created in a small house.

The original cigar was called the Fuma in 1963. In 1964 a small factory was made to produce the cigar. In 1966 the El Laguito Factory was created to enable the cigar to be produced on a larger scale. The cigar originates in the Vuelta Abajo region in Cuba. It is sent through a strong fermentation process which makes this one of the finest cigars in the world. In 1966 the Fuma cigar was officially named the “Cohiba” and maintains that name to this day.

The first US Registered brand of the Cohiba Cigar was in 1978. It has been produced in the Dominican Republic on a large scale since 1997. The history surrounding the cigar is very interesting. It is rumored that tight security was necessary during the early years of the Fuma or Cohiba. It is said that the CIA experimented with exploding cigars in an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro, Rau Castro and Castro’s protégé Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara. The cigar was never perfected to achieve the assassination and the rumor has never been proven to be a true fact. However, strict security was imposed at the factory while producing the cigars for Mr. Castro.



In 1982, the Cuban Cohiba brand was introduced at the World Cup in Spain. Three sizes were available at that time, the Paneta, the Corona Especial and the Lancero. In 1989 three more cigars were added to complete the Clasica Linea or Classic Line, the Robusto, the Exquisito and the Esplendido. Cohiba cigars are known worldwide as one of the most magnificent cigars ever made. It is produced in Cuba and was the absolute favorite of Fidel Castro. As a matter of fact, the cigar gained its popularity when Castro started giving the cigar as gifts to diplomats and dignitaries when they visited Cuba. In the early years, only a few hundred were produced annually, thus, making this one of the most sought after cigars on the planet. At one time the only way to obtain a Cohiba was as a gift from Fidel Castro.

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